Tubular reaction furnace for indirect heating of crackable fluids

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a tubular reaction furnace for the indirect heating of crackable fluids, particularly for cracking hydrocarbons used for the extraction of gas rich in CO and H 2 . The furnace has a plurality of vertical reaction tubes arranged in a firing chamber which is heated by a plurality of internal burners mounted in the furnace ceiling, the flue gas being withdrawn via an appreciable number of flue gas ducts on the furnace floor. The invention primarily relates to furnaces in which cracking takes place at high pressures and temperatures and which are installed on floating carriers, i.e. floating plant platforms.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This type of tubular reaction furnace consists of a building-like steel structure. Walls, ceiling and floor have a refractory lining. The furnace is equipped with a plurality of vertical reaction tubes filled with a catalyst and arranged in several rows. In order to achieve uniform withdrawal of the flue gas, a certain number of parallel flue gas ducts are arranged on the floor and connected to a common header where the gas collects. Then the gas passes a heat exchanger and is discharged into the atmosphere via a flue gas stack. Since the flue gas ducts are arranged in the reaction furnace and heated from all sides, they consist of a self-supporting structure of refactory ceramic material or bricks.

Off-shore fields of natural gas or oil offer the possibility of converting such raw materials into intermediate or final products at the place of the resources, i.e. on floating plant platforms. For this purpose, tubular reaction furnaces for cracking hydrocarbons are mounted on special vessels which are called floating plant platforms. Since such a platform is exposed to considerable internal forces depending on the sea waves, the components must withstand major dynamic forces, especially the flue gas ducts of the furnace, because they consist of heavy ceramic material. The weight of these components can in fact cause a collapse of the structure depending on the angle of inclination from the vertical position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the invention is to design a flue gas withdrawing system for tubular reaction furnaces mainly installed on floating plant platforms, the system being such that it is able to withstand external forces without damage to the refractory material.

The aim of the invention is achieved by arranging a plurality of parallel tubes in the form of a register used for the ceiling and side walls which thus form a flue gas duct, by attaching the tubular headers to the external side of the reaction furnace, by applying an internal and external heat insulation on the tube register walls, and by connecting the tubular header to a cooling system.

According to further embodiments of the invention, each flue gas duct essentially consists of a flue-gas-tight wall and a register with internal and external heat insulation of the same thickness.

The advantages of the invention are that the flue gas ducts have a cooling jacket which reinforces the system and thus ensures the stability required for the structure. Moreover, it is also possible to use soft insulating materials which are normally not suited for self-supporting structures. Unlike the purely ceramic structures, the inventive ducts are suitable for foot traffic.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to one skilled in the art from reading the following detailed descriptions of a preferred embodiment of the invention when considered in the light of the accompanying drawing 1, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a tubular reaction furnace embodying the features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a flue gas duct of the furnace illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a flue gas duct taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

According to FIG. 1, the tubular reaction furnace is a steel structure consisting of heat-insulated walls 2, ceiling 3 and furnace floor 4. The vertical reaction tubes 5 are filled with a catalyst and arranged in parallel rows. The upper end of each row penetrates the ceiling and is connected to inlet header 6, while the lower end of the tubes 5 penetrates the furnace floor 4 and is connected to the product gas header 7. The tube rows are heated by a plurality of burners 8 arranged in the furnace ceiling 3. In order to heat the entire length of the tubes 5 in a uniform manner, the flue gases with a temperature of approximately 1000° C. are withdrawn at a constant rate via a plurality of parallel flue gas ducts 9 mounted on the furnace floor 4. The duct length corresponds to the length of the tubular reaction furnace. The flue gas ducts 9 are connected to the external flue gas header 10.

According to FIGS. 2 and 3, each flue gas duct 9 consists of one or several tube registers 11 which form the side walls 12 and the ceiling 13. In order to fix the duct 9 properly in the furnace floor 4, the registers 11 forming the side walls 12 penetrate the floor 4 and are attached to the bottom beam of the steel structure. The flue gas ducts 9 thus have the required stability. The openings 14 of the tube register are arranged near the floor 4 in such a manner that the flue gases in the furnace chamber are routed through the ducts. The tubes of the register 11 may have various cross-sections, with or without fins. It is essential that side walls and ceiling be flue-gas-tight. There is not any other preferred arrangement of the tubes such as a vertical or horizontal arrangement to the longitudinal axis of the flue gas duct. Moreover, the tube register must be tight and resist dynamic loads.

In order to protect the tube register against the flue gas heat, it has an external and internal insulation 16 of ceramic material, bricks or fibres. The insulation thickness depends on the gas heat. If the upper end of the tube register is covered with a layer of insulating concrete 17, the flue gas duct 9 is suitable for foot traffic.

The tubular headers are connected to a cooling water system such as a boiler feed water system for preheating the water. The tube register must be cooled such that the material strength does not deteriorate. The heat recovered by the boiler feed water system is recycled to the tubular reaction furnace, for instance for preheating the combustion air. 

What we claim is:
 1. In a tubular reaction furnace of the type having a firing chamber defined by a ceiling mounting a plurality of internal burners, a floor and including a plurality of vertically oriented reaction tubes arranged in the firing chamber for the indirect heating of crackable fluids, particularly for cracking hydrocarbons used for the extraction of gases rich in CO and H₂, the improvement comprising:a plurality of flue gas ducts mounted on the floor of the furnace, each flue gas duct including opposed sidewalls and a ceiling; said sidewalls and ceiling each having a plurality of parallel arranged tubes forming a tube register; means for insulating the internal and external surfaces of said tube register; and tubular headers operatively connected to said tube register for the circulation of a cooling medium therethrough.
 2. A tubular reaction furnace according to claim 1 wherein said flue gas duct is a flue-gas-type wall.
 3. A tubular reaction furnace according to claims 1 or 2 wherein said internal and external heat insulation have approximately the same thickness.
 4. A tubular reaction furnace according to claims 1 or 2 wherein said tube register penetrates the furnace floor and is attached to the steel structure of the furnace floor. 